Motion
Sensitivity
Reader Comments

Charles Thomas Wild writes:
Last year (2013), I visited Disney World, Florida.
I am extremely sensitive to motion. I was diagnosed with Organic Brain Syndrome due to a difficult, forceps delivery birth (1946); a clearer diagnosis is Inattentive ADHD, central auditory processing disorder, mild dyspraxia/mild hemiparesis of the left side of my body.
For me, coffee - caffeine compounds (Tirend, NoDoz) work well for me to temporarily reduce Inattentive ADHD symptoms; also, Bonine, for me, allows me to sail on San Francisco Bay easily (although the benefit is for only half a day, followed by unwanted changes to my sleep later) so I no longer use Bonine due to those delayed side effects.
My sensitivity is 100% neurological and a consequence of non-normal birth.

I could handle rides like Spaceship Earth. I could not handle rides like: Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith, Star Wars, and Mission: Space.
Disney World is a wonderful place! My reaction to some of their rides is only my problem, not theirs.

*****

I
suffer terribly from motion sickness but I have found my vice! The motion
sickness medicine Bonine is wonderful. It doesn't make me tired or sick
at all, I had no side affects and was able to ride all rides rated low
to medium and even a few of the high ones. That's a huge thing for me
so that I can participate with my family! Also, if you must ride Space
Mountain with your kids like I have too, ride in the front of the car!
You don't get whipped around as much! I just told them that I have motion
issues and I can only ride in the front and they were happy to accomodate
me. (Heather May)

*****

Two
days ago I rode Mission Space with my six year old son and I haven't
been the same since. I have never had motion sickness and am not afraid
of dark, enclosed spaces and am in otherwise good health, therefore
the warnings to this effect did not deter me. During
Mission Space I had a feeling of extreme nausea. After the ride, I immediately
needed to lie down. I was dizzy and disoriented and not sure how I was
going to collect myself in order to bring my son back to our hotel!
I was wrecked for the rest of the day and had to leave the park immediately
following the experience. Two days later I still feel like I am having
the spins.

My six
year old son, however told me that it was, and I quote, "the most
thrilling experience of my life!". My husband went on Mission Space
the following day to see what all my grumbling was about and he wasn't
affected either. After
reading the comments here I see that some people feel that the warnings
are superfluous. I am here to tell you that it CAN affect some people
very intensely; people who might otherwise feel that they wouldn't be
affected aversely. Ella

*****

Mission
Space is more than Extreme for me. My day was not great after that ride,
I could of slept the whole day. My husband and daughter went on 6 times
after that. This ride should not be for small children. My 4 year old
will not be allowed to go on this ride and I will also keep my dad off
it. They should put an age limit on Mission Space, Not recommened for
children under 10, No matter how tall they are. Otherwise I have no
problem with any of the other rides. Mission Space just got to me...
Pat

*****

I
have a problem with implied motion such as on the Canada and France
films, and recently added Mickey's Philharmagic to the list. I love
the ride but have to look down when Donald is flying on the carpet with
Jasmine & Aladdin. Very disorienting! Rhonda Jackson

*****

My daughter
and I both have motion sickness issues, but have differing, sometimes
surprising reactions to many attractions. For the most part, I agreed
with the possibility of your assessments but found one attraction missing
with which I have issues -- Ellen's Energy Adventure. In the flight
sequences, I turn green if I watch the screens, which makes me very
hesitant to try Soarin'. The other attraction to which I have had the
most reaction is Star Tours. I would also prefer not to ride the Teacups over and over and
over. My daughter, now 12 yo, has never really had her motion sickness
triggered by the attractions (Rock 'n Roller Coaster freak!) but is
most easily triggered by any ride on a launch to a resort or sometimes
even the Friendship boats. Granted, she has not experienced all the
attractions that are in the High impact category.
Leslie Meister

*****

WISH I
had found this sooner. I have an inner ear imbalance and so I have to
add on the O Canada exhibit at Epcot -- be careful! Inner ear is different
from motion sickness. It's an eye/ear thing. O Canada just about put
me under in the first two minutes. However, I had no problem with any
3-D attractions like Hollywood Studio's Muppet Theatre or AK's A Bug's Life. I loved
MK The Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan. The AK Safari expedition was also
fine for me. However, forget Mission Space or anything where eye/ear
"matching" is involved (too long to go into, but if you've
been diagnosed with it, you know exactly what I mean). I did not do
Buzz Lightyear for that reason = even though the motion factor may be
low/medium, if it involves eye/ear coordination it can cause problems
for those of us with this very annoying disorder. I rode Space Mountain
in 1989 before I got old and sick lol so I'll have to just enjoy my
memories.( J Catalano)

*****

I have
"motion sensitivity" issues myself and avoid all of the obvious
culprits. However, I love Disney and have ridden everything at least
once so I can have an opinion on it (except Mission Space). (Julie Bickerstaff)

*****

Of all
the rides anywhere at Disney, Mission Space is the most extreme. I've
gone on the rest, but Mission Space did the most to mess up my 50+ year-old
body! The G-forces are real and ANY condition such as glaucoma or blood
pressure problems will be seriously aggravated.

I took
the ride on our last visit, expecting a thrill ride, Disney style and
I got it! The que areas are imaginative and colorful, BUT there are
a large number of warnings throughout the cue. Disney Imagineers did
their best, short of stopping everyone for a physical, to discourage
people with any kind of motion sickness from riding, and there are ample
numbers of exits.

However,
I don't suffer from motion sickness, so I went on the ride. Once the
centrifuge started and the 'G's got pulled on me, I lost focus in my
eyes. My breath came in short bursts more out of concern for my vision
than anything else. I suffer from glaucoma and the motion of the ride
aggravated the condition. It took about ten minutes after the ride for
me to get normal vision back.

Mission
Space should be approached WITH EXTREME CAUTION by anyone over 50 with
any kind of problem that will could be aggravated by extreme G-force
pull. Young children shouldn't even THINK of going on the ride. I would
recommend a minimum age of 12, for safety's sake.

It's a
great ride, but it isn't for everyone. BE CAREFUL! (Larry Betzelberger)

*****

I can handle Space Mountain, no problem, but Cinderella's Golden Carrousel,
no way. My husband, 2 kids and myself went on the Star Tours and Mission
Space. They all loved it!!!! Star Tours made me feel ucky and Mission
Space made me feel down right TERRIBLE!!!! Ruined the rest of my day,
night and into the next day! Very heavy chest feeling and racing heart.
I will not go on that one again!!!! Dinosaur was awesome though. No
problem leaving that ride, I guess it's an individual choice and you
must make that yourself on knowing what you can handle! (Tracey Chaussi)

*****

My husband
and I are 40 and 41 years old and we love wild rides, however, I wouldn't
recommend certain rides to people who are not used to them.

We felt
that Mission Space should be for people who are age 8 and above. The
motion and the content can be handled at that age and well understood.
This ride should be skipped by anyone who finds it tough to ride the
tea cups, or Primeval Whirl. We
felt that Primeval Whirl can sometimes be worse than Mission Space.
If your coaster spins a great deal, you can be totally disoriented.
If you do not like this feeling or your eyes get "wacky",
as my 7 year old says, you can get very sick. We watched one woman walk
off and fall down after riding.

We think
Soarin' has too many warnings and that it is not bad at all. Even my
4 year old loved it!! (Laura Sponaugle)

*****

I disagree
that Primeval Whirl is "Extreme." Its a pretty tame rollercoaster
with a 48" height requirement. You only experience a couple of
whirls on the trip and it is nothing like the tea cups. Dinosaur is
far more intense with a lower height requirement. You're much more likely
to get sick/hurt on Dinosaur than you are on Primeval Whirl.

*****

For
some reason, Peter Pan at the MK gets me very motion sick. I think it
is the suspended "cars" and the winding track they hang from.
This is one I avoid! (Deb Sands)

*****

I had no
problems with the Land. Great ride! Same goes for Spaceship Earth. Although
there are some parts where you are sideways, backwards, or rotating,
it is so slow that it was no problem for me. Same also goes for the
Mexican Boat Ride at Epcot. At
Epcot, I refused to ride the others listed for fear of my motion issues.

I was reading
your Motion Sensitivity guide and noticed an omission. In Studios, the Backlot
Tour could be rated low-medium in the Motion Quotient due to the inability
to see forward (unless you sit right up front) and the jerking motion
in Catastophe Canyon.

Also, I
agree with other readers that additional categories should be added,
such as type of motion and severity on a 1-10 scale. I know that my
mother can go on Big Thunder without any problems. But she would get
motion sick instantly on Soarin' because she is sensitive to implied
motion. (Sean Flanagan)

*****

Just an
additional note to the "Motion Sensitivity" comments section...my
husband is also VERY sensitive to the big
screen movie presentations that utilize filming from moving helicopters.
These include the Epcot presentations at the Canada, France and China
pavilions. He is not able to watch the screen during scenes filmed from
the air, and must hold onto the rail and look down...they cause extreme
vertigo. So even though these are not "moving" rides, they
may cause extreme discomfort for some visitors! (Janet Dixon)

*****

I just
read your comments on Motion Sensitivity. I have an inner ear disorder
that causes my balance sensitivity. Most of the issues are caused by
sight/eye coordination. I have ridden every ride at WDW, except Mission
Space. I agree with some of your ratings, but not others. I think depending
on the type of problem you have, there are big differences on what one
can ride and another can't. I know that bonine etc do nothing for me,
as they are just for nausea - not for imbalance issues. There is a big
difference. Primeval Whirl is not Extreme to me, but Astro Orbiter is.
Splash Mtn is Low for me, but Star Tours is Extreme. I can ride ToT and RNRC a few times in a row before I
wobble, but could never go on Mission Space - sight being the trigger.
Test Track is
very, very Low but I get sick on Spaceship Earth! I guess my point is
- you should be careful in making a chart like this and making generic
statements about how they are rated - it will so vary much from person
to person. (Nancy Ahlsen)

*****

In response to your review of rides with motion sensitivity issues...my
husband is EXTREMELY motion sensitive and offers the following insight:
he finds that rides inside (Space Mountain, etc.), have a much bigger
effect on him because, as opposed to outdoor rides, there is really
no horizon/point of reference to help you gage your sense of balance.
He also finds that "dark" rides (Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain,
etc.), can get to him after awhile too, even though the motion on some
is very gentle. Once he feels disoriented he can start feeling ill very
quickly. (Chris
and Brandon Frantz)

*****

Your motion
guide was accurate on all accounts except the Splash mountain I feel
that the the ride is a little rougher than medium. I am 30 years old
and I have been going to Disney twice a year since I was four. (Lisa
Wismer)

*****

You asked
for comments about rides that give motion sickness. I'll tell you one
thing a simple high/low rating isn't really useful for those of us who
know what makes us sick.

I for one
can't do dizzy, no how no way. Tea cups would kill me, however I can
ride dumbo because I can see a reference like the castle as it turns
slowly.

I also
can easily do drops and fast turns (not sharp) like test tracks outside
high speed run. I can't do start and stop like dinosour, the whiplash
motion does me in.

You might
want to add another category or two that rates the motion (jerkey, drops,
speed, g-forces, etc. (DisneyD)

*****

In regards to people who suffer from motion sickness. I travel to Disney
once or twice a year and over the years I have finally found what works
best for motion sickness. Your family Doctor can prescribe something
called a Scolapine patch. You wear the patch behind your ear. Most people
wear it for cruises. I put mine on the night before I leave for Florida
(so I don't get sick on the plane ride)and continue to keep the patch
on, changing
them every 72 hours. I used to get sick on Space Mountain but with the
patch I can go on every ride including Mission Space and not get motion
sickness. (Susan Garretson)

*****

Before
Mission:Space actually officially opened and they made it a bit less
intense, I took a motion sickness medication two hours before getting
on the ride. I am very affected by motion, sometimes even getting sick
in cars as passenger or driver.

Taking
Bonine two hours before Misson:Space helped me experience the ride but
I will never do it again. I was not dizzy or sick thanks to the medication
but my mind felt detached from my body for about four hours after. We
went back to the hotel because it really took a toll on me. We talked
to other guests and they had also come back to the resort for that same
reason.

Follow
the cast tip: do not move your eyes. I didn't feel the motion until
I moved my eyes - instead of using my "field of vision" to
find the buttons to press and move the joystick when asked on the ride,
I moved my eyes and looked for the correct button to press. From that
point on, I felt all the spinning and the last 30 seconds of the game
seemed like an eternity. I am glad I can say I went on the ride one
time but will never do it again. This ride is very similar to the "Gravitron"
ride at carnivals and city fairs, so if you can handle that ride, you
can handle Mission:Space. Otherwise, skip this ride. (Chris White)

*****

The part
that bothered me the most on Rock 'N Roller Coaster was the signs that
you fly by. Trying to read those made me dizzy, so I just closed my
eyes throughout the rest of the ride and had no problem! The actual
ride itself is smooth but fast. You don't really feel the loops when
you go upside down. I would go again. (Patty Barber)

*****

I was reading
your list of Motion Sensitivity rides and it did not include Universe
of Energy. I found this as an intense ride that threw my balance off
when you feel like you are riding through space. Being a 37 minute ride
with no exit during the show (that I could find) made it a very nerve
wracking ride. I had to ride most of the ride with my eyes closed. Not
a fun thing to do for that period of time. (Fran Skall)

*****

I would
rate the Circlevision films as medium and certainly more of a problem
than "Maelstorm". I would also rate "Star Tours"
as extreme. And
believe it or not I can handle the"Tower of Terror" fairly
well and would rate it as a medium. The new one at DCA is smoother and
causes even less trouble . :) (Dan Eberhardt)